Emma Gravgaard, Transfer Plus 3: Czech Republic Summer 2023
Before we even began our journey to the Czech Republic, I knew that this program was going to stand out with me and leave an impact on my life. Through the classes we had before leaving, it was clear that this was not going to be a normal study abroad experience. Rather than sitting in a classroom day in and day out, we would be traveling around not only Prague, but surround cities gaining knowledge through experiences. Our trip was going to be focused around seeing engineering in another country, and that included taking in all of the architecture, infrastructure, and even the companies located around Prague. This really stood out to me on this program as we were able to tailor our learning to what we were most interested in. This included listing our interests before the trip and planning company visits around those interests. This made the trip that much more meaningful to not only myself, but also to all the people on it with me. We weren’t just traveling to another country to take a class we could have experienced in the States, we were traveling to another country to experience engineering as a whole in another place.
When we first arrived in Prague, the first thing that stood out to me was the architecture and the layout of the city. I have always loved looking at pictures of European cities and towns, as they all have such a beautiful façade. However, you don’t fully believe that it is going to look like the pictures until you see it with your own eyes. Another thing that really stood out to me was the public transportation within the city. I am a huge advocate for public transportation, and I am a frequent user of the bus system back at home in Pittsburgh. Seeing all the different methods the people of Prague have to get around though was amazing. From the bus to the trolley cars, and even to the subway, there were so many ways to navigate the city without needing your own vehicle. This really shows that this city was originally designed with people and walking in mind, after all, this city was standing long before the invention of cars, so the streets were designed with people in mind, unlike being designed for cars which is largely what we see in the United States. I absolutely loved to see this different kind of life and culture that is not seen in the U.S.
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